NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University extends the One Stop Shop days to help students who still need to enroll for the fall semester. The extension comes following two weeks of successfully assisting nearly 2,000 students through One Stop Shop. Located in the Kean Hall Gymnasium, students received services ranging from financial aid, course advisement, student IDs, meal plans, housing, and more in one convenient place. The extended dates are August 26-28, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This extension aims to provide students with the opportunity to complete essential tasks for the new academic year, all in one convenient location. Dr. Curtis Johnson, Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff, underscores the significance of this service and its extension.
“We want to make sure that the students who need assistance are able to receive that assistance as conveniently as possible,” Johnson said. “We decided it is in the best interest of the students to provide this service during the duration of registration.”
Students have until August 29 to register and enroll for the current fall semester.
“We don’t want students to have to run from department to department to get their business taken care of. That’s why we’re keeping the One Stop Shop extended and centrally located,” Johnson added.
The One Stop Shop has assisted students like TSU freshman Mariah Ard of Oak Ridge, TN, who attended to get advisement assistance.
“I went over to the advisement team to get my classes taken care of,” said Ard, who is studying architecture engineering. “He (TSU faculty) helped me reset my password, and now everything is all set. I am ready to go to class and be very successful.”
Collier Smith of Memphis, a junior studying criminal justice, visited the One Stop Shop several times throughout the week to utilize multiple services. “I’ve been coming to the One Stop Shop since Monday,” Smith said. “I’ve gotten a lot of stuff handled. One thing I can say is, it’s been a success so far.”
Johnson noted that the most requested services initially included parking decals and ID badges, but later shifted to financial aid and advisement.
As the fall semester has begun, Tennessee State University encourages all students to take advantage of the extended One Stop Shop dates.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Still need to finalize your fall enrollment? Tennessee State University is offering a One Stop Shop at Kean Hall from August 13-23, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., giving students the chance to take care of essential tasks for the new academic year all in one location.
The One Stop Shop provides a range of services including setting up meal plans, receiving ID badges, getting parking decals, and book bundles and post office mailboxes. Advisors for classes, faculty from the Bursar’s Office, financial aid counselors, and more will be available to assist with any paperwork, including health immunization records.
Dr. Curtis Johnson, Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff, underscores the significance of this service: “We’re excited that the One-Stop Shop will be open for our students this fall. It’s a great opportunity for students to complete their registration process and receive assistance with IDs, parking permits, academic advisement, or financial aid, ” he said.
“This centralized service eliminates the need to visit multiple departments and brings all the necessary resources into one location.”
For those unsure about required paperwork, Johnson said students should go online first. “We encourage students to go online, especially for parking. Bring your driver’s license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and student ID before getting in line. Preloading these items into the system will streamline the process when you arrive.”
Click the links below for additional service information:
The One Stop Shop will also offer COVID-19 resources, including masks and hand sanitizer, to ensure everyone’s safety.
Chrishonda O’Quinn, SGA President, highlights the value of the center as well from a student’s perspective. “It’s crucial for students to stop by the center because its goal is to assist with any challenges they may face during their time at the university. It’s a valuable resource for navigating your college experience.”
Trey Cunningham, a TSU spring 2024 graduate and former rep at large for the financial aid office said the one stop opportunity is for all students and even TSU employees. “The One Stop Shop is beneficial for everyone. Whether you’re a first-time freshman, returning student, transfer, graduate student, or even an employee,” Cunningham said. “It allows you to handle multiple tasks at once. My freshman year, getting my parking decal at Kean Hall was seamless. “I hope students utilize the resources available and take full advantage of what TSU offers.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to get everything done in one place at the One Stop Shop!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Wilson Lee Jr. vividly remembers the Smithsonian Institute approaching him about his artwork as an undergraduate student at Mississippi Valley State University.
“One day I was sitting outside under a cottonwood tree, and a man walks up and says, ‘I am looking for Wilson Lee. Are you Wilson Lee?’ And I say, ‘What do you want with him?’ And he says, ‘I am a researcher from the Smithsonian Institute. I’ve already talked to his father. Now I want to talk to him about his carvings.’ So he showed me his credentials, and from there I did a show with the American Folklore Festival. All of this is while I am in college.”
Lee is director of the Tennessee State University One Stop Shop. His celebrated woodcarvings are currently featured at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) as part of the 2018 Flying Solo Winter Exhibitions. Lee said he grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, going from his bedroom to his father’s woodworking shop where they restored antique furniture.
Wilson Lee Jr., director of TSU One Stop Shop
“We basically worked for the rich land owners in the Delta, so my upbringing was quite different from a lot of other African Americans in the Delta,” he said. “I knew the difference between walnut, mahogany, oak, pine and various fine woods at a very early age.”
That early training provided Lee with the foundational skills he has used to create a lifetime of art, such as that featured in Back to Now, the collection of his work on display at BNA.
“There is so much going on in the country now that reminds me of what I have already gone through,” he said. “So what I did for this show was select work from the late 60s and the late 70s and from 2018.”
The exhibit, which runs through February 24 in the Concourse C Waiting Lounge, features eight of Lee’s carvings, touching on topics ranging from gentrification to the spirit world. He said his work often speaks about injustice and is rooted in his rich heritage and culture.
Wilson Lee Jr.’s woodcarving, We Are One, which is featured in his collection Back to Now at the Nashville International Airport in the Concourse C Waiting Lounge.
“I have never been afraid to speak about injustice, and I’ve never been afraid to create work about injustice,” he said. “The fall out from that is that you won’t be listed in some settings. You won’t be invited to some places. But that’s just the price that you pay if you are willing to go this route.“
Mary Grissim, curator of arts at BNA, said the Flying Solo Exhibit features five Tennessee artists and will last three months.
“Wilson’s art was selected because, one, woodcarving is not that common. We don’t see a lot of entries in that area, so his was very unique in that respect,” she said. “The quality of his work is outstanding, and what I love about this program is that of the 14 million people who pass through our airport yearly, I would say the majority of these people aren’t exposed to art. They don’t go to art museums. They aren’t hanging out in art galleries. So for many of these people, this is their first exposure to fine art.”
Grissim said one of the major purposes of featuring art in airports is to distract people from the personal challenges many of them grapple with as they travel.
Mary Grissom, curator for arts at the Nashville International Airport.
“It’s very similar to art in healthcare,” she said. “You can’t imagine going in a hospital that doesn’t have art in it because art is distracting you from the tension of why you are there, whether it’s for yourself or someone else. That’s what happens in airports. This would be a grim place if there wasn’t beautiful artwork.”
Lee said his work as an artist has paralleled his work in higher education.
“My whole mission in life was to work at an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). I wanted to do my whole tenure there,” he said. “I wanted to help these kids, so I just got my credentials, and that’s where I work. That’s where I play ball.”
Lee previously worked at TSU from 1991 until 1999 as the director of financial-aid. He has also worked at Jackson State University, Texas Southern University and Mississippi Valley State University.
Wilson Lee Jr. with his family at the Winter Flying Solo Reception at the Nashville International Airport.
“What I tell young people is, if you are passionate about something, do it. Do it when you don’t get paid. That is my philosophy,” he said. “Just keep doing it if you think that this is what you are here on Earth to do. Somebody has to leave a record; I leave a record in wood. Somebody’s got to say something about gentrification; I comment about it in wood. Somebody’s got to say something about the blues; I do it in wood.”
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About Tennessee State University
With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
